***Hey Arizona--my next trip is out your way in a few weeks. We’ll only be there for a short time though; what should I and my fellow travelers see or do while we’re out west that the tourists don’t?

***Thanks Birmingham—hope I get to come back soon.

***Sorry, I should have started with: I live near Bridgeport Conn. and work near Hartford Conn. I’m in Birmingham for a temporary duty assignment and as much as I like Alabama, I’ll be returning home in a few months. Anyway, while I’m here I’d like to meet some good people and do some fun things—and if I happen to meet a great girl, that would be a nice surprise.


Ok, I guess I’ll start by saying that I’m just a regular guy, both in appearance and attitude. My sisters and female friends say otherwise; I’ll paraphrase—“you’re soooooo not average; you’re solid, responsible, funny, smart, hot, blah, blah, blah.” Of course I don’t believe them; they’re biased, what else would they say to me, ha-ha. Anyway, I’m grateful for their kind words and fortunately, I have the proper amount of ugly-duckling syndrome to keep me grounded.
Having said that, I’ll also say that I’ve been lucky enough to have dated some beautiful, smart, terrific women and remain friends (or friendly) with almost all. That’s not to say that we get together regularly, just that we’re happy to run into each other once in a while. Now you’re thinking “Yeah right, so what are you doing here Mister Lucky?” The simple answer: you can’t force yourself to love somebody no matter how great they are. You like what you like and you love who you love, right?
Anyway, you probably want to know about me—so let’s get to it. I’ll just jump past the “I’m great because…” statements that everyone uses and go right to…

My weirdness:
I don't like running or going to the gym but I do anyway (the "runner's high" continues to elude me). I view exercise as unpleasant medicine that lets me live life on my terms. I play softball in the summer, volleyball all year, and I try to ski in the winter—unfortunately, I've only been able to get to the mountains once or twice a year for the past few years.

I have a low tolerance for stupidity. I make assessments, I judge—I think it's our responsibility as adults. Here is an example: If a person at work has greasy hair and dirt under his/her fingernails, I'm not eating the cookies they bring in, ha-ha.

Speaking of cleanliness, my kitchen and bathroom are always clean—I'm a big fan of Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. However, I have washed/folded laundry on top of my dressers—why don't the clothes make it to the drawers?

I like it when I can fuse the Ivory soap in the shower to the new bar juuusst before it’s ready to break.

I've been 4 credits away from my BS degree (Physics) since 9/11 happened--I haven't been back to campus since. I'm thinking I should put my laundry away and graduate.

Not long ago, a friend told me “You give the best hugs!” We were at another friend’s birthday celebration the last time I saw her and after our initial hug, she went for a re-hug and made the statement. I don’t know why that pleases me but it does.

I worry about those I love if they have a quarter tank of gas or less. I know—mental.


What I like:
Smart
Funny
Kind
Independent
Generally happy with yourself
Athletic/in shape
Understated elegance
Reasonable, can disagree nicely
Opinionated, not dogmatic
Can be still
You should have some quirks as well, ha-ha.


Thanks, but no thanks:
Smoker: I just can’t get by the smell
Catty: do you talk about people behind their backs?
Jealous: you’re a cheat at heart and you think everyone is like you
Flashy: do you crave attention?
High-maintenance: (These people don't think they’re high-maint anyway—disregard, ha-ha)
Negative disposition: when you swim, do you dislike the water because it feels wet?
Nag: does anyone like a nag?
Sarcastic/mean-spirited: humor that cuts isn’t humor, it’s cruelty
Fanatic: crazily conservative / super liberal
Never happy: “the grass is greener” type. The next thing you get or do will finally "complete" you
---------------------------See below for the water glass question and a little Zen


Random thoughts:
Here's part of a conversation I never want to have with my potential children:
"...you see kids, mommy's former boyfriend was a biker pimp; that big tattoo on her lower back helped him identify her when she and the other girls were bent over the pool table at their motorcycle gang hideout…"

OK, seriously—I know tattoos are trendy and some are kinda’ cool, but I prefer the natural state. This is how I see it: it'd be like going to Painted Desert in Arizona and finding somebody had been "creative" with a can of spray paint—as if they could fancy-up or improve God's work. Besides that, I like women that use words for self-expression rather than pictures from the “book o’ art" at Tattoos-R-Us.


Zen and your water glass:
Don’t ask: Is my glass half empty or is my glass half full?
Ask:
--Do I need the air in what I thought was the “empty” half?
--Is my glass the right size?

RYOKAN AND THE THIEF
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."
----------Muju